Game apparatus.



'W. M. GENTLE.

. GAME APPARATUS. APPLIOATIOIN FILED JUNE 10, 1909.

Patented Sept 20, 1910."

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

/.\I 'EA TOR. TflhanaM. Gentle.

IVITNESSES W. M. GENTLE. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1909.

Patqnted Sept. '20, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/ w m l i. Gentle W. M. GENTLE.

GAME APPARATUS. APPLIUATIOIT FILED JUNE 10, 1909.

Patented Sept 20, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

'LVVENTO William M Gcu'fle.

WITNESSES: m. 1/. A

' A TTORNEY.

w S j w. Mi GENTLE. a

GAME APPARATUS. APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 10 1909.

970,489, 7 Patent-ed Sept20, 1910..

4 alums-sum 4.

lV/TNESSES: kVVENTOR. v William .Genflz.

). Q I I Y 'IATTORNEJC.

WILLIAM n, GENTLE, or GREENWOOD, INDIANA:

GAME APPARATUS.

7 Specification ot ldttera Patent. Ptented Sept. 20, 1910.

Application filed June 10, 1909. Serial No. 501,408.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. GENTLE, of Greenwood, county of Johnson, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Game A paratus; and I do hereby declare that the ollowing is a full, clear, and exact. description thereof, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer to like parts.

The object of this invention 1s to improve the construction of game apparatus similar a means is provided that extends downwardly fromthe lower end. of each alley pin through a. slot'or like opening in the ball course, and isfulcrumed or pivoted on means below the-ballcourse, so that when the pin is knocked down by a ball, the pin will swing below the ball course and be out of the way as 'm'uch so as inordinary bowling alleys. There is also a resetting means mounted below the ball course for returning the .alle plus their normalpos'ition.

Another eature of the inventionconsists in connecting the means. for holding, and

controlling the various-alley pins, so that whe'n'acertain alley pin khocked down by a ball, it will throw certain other alley pms andthus fproducejzhe, same result and effect thesame'scoreas is usually the case I in the-.-fordinary bowlingalley;

The nature of. the invention will be understood from the accompanyin drawings and the following description an claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the game ap aratus centrally broken away. Fig. 2 is a tton'i yiew' of the rear portion of the ball course and alley pin con trolling means, viewed from the line.2 2 of Fig. 1, and parts being broken, away. Fig. =8 is, a section on.'the line 3-3 of 1' show- 'bein i-ng the alle pins elevated. Fig. 4 is a i plan view a rear portion of the device, other parts being broken away, and the alley pins being all, upright. ig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section through a portion of'the device showing the means for mounting an alley pin in the two positions thereof," parts belng broken away. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 77 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5, showing an upright alley in in'elevatiou. Fig. 8 is a section on the ine'99 of Fig. 5. Figs. 9, 10, 11. and 12 are diagrams of thepositions ofvthe alley pins'- 1n.the course of a ame and the connections between the a ey pins, whereby when a certain alley pin is struck, other alley pins will be also thrown. are 'plns whichhav'e been thrown down and the whites: are pinsjnot struck.

-Th e device herein shown has a ball course" 15 with a'troug'h 16 at each' side thereon-as is common in bowling alleys, said ball course v mounted upon the supports 17 intermediate of its ends, and connected with the back portion 18 at the rear and .with a 0st 19 at the front. There is also a. return all t'r'ough 20 for the balls 21. 'A resettinglever.

The blacks 22 is pivoted at '23 and connected with the pivotally connecting rod 24 extending rear- Walr'd to the lever 25 fulcrumed at 26 inter mediate of its endsto the bracket 27 extending down from the ball course.

Thealley pins 30 are preferably/of the same shape and number as *bowlinga alley pins,- and are mounted on the rear portion:

of theball course at the forward end of disappearing slots 31 in the ball course,

through which the alley pins, disappear when struck. 'Each alley-pin'30 is secured at its lower end rigidly to an armiiEt-ful-v crumed between-its ends on a rock shaft. 34, i

part the I arm 33 hold the on the lower alley pin fro V also assist in holding it, firmly in its u right position and guide said arm-during t e os- '5' cillation thereof. A

,and extends through t e lower end of the arm 33 and said rock an'aley pin isistrnck, it will-be knockedline position shown -in'" 1 Tig-5,and the low'er' end-01f the arn'133will'be thrownforwardly; so that the pins 38; will rest at the forward" end of shaft 34 rigidly. One of itsarms is" v projects and operates through slots 39 inthe lates 37 that are curved concentrically wit the rock shaft" 34. This alsohel s in guiding and holdingthe alley pin; T e arms 33 are looselymountedon downithrough the ball'cqnrse'intothe dotted upw ard end of the slots 39=and inkposition' to be engaged by the resetting arms40 when they are oscillated from' the full-line positionshownin Fig 5 to the dotted-line .pc'si tion. That movement ofsaid arms-40 will.

' return the alley pinsgfro'xn'" the horizontal to the 'vert'ical 'positiontf g I and therock shaft are*i'ei'lurned to their original position:- The rock shafts 34'1are simultaneously given" the resetting move ment by the means shown in 1. There is a bell-crank lever 41 secured on thejouter slotted} to receive a pin 42 that extends "through a slot in the up or 'end of the lever the; levers 41' are" connected'b a bar 43, .whei'ebyall the shafts 34will be simultaneously g'iy'enthe'msetting movement. ,To jacilitate the j resettingmjovernent as ring44iis secured between the: plates 3'Zat 1: spam 45, and near-i tspoint' 25. The upper ends.

of attachment bears against theypin 46, so

that the free end ofthe spring. is in position Q t0] befengaged bythe lower-- end of the am 33 asthe alley pie, is moving downwardly after being struck from' its vertical to its horizontal osition; lhisbreaks'the torce of the Increment oft-he alle pins in the" ,latter --part offits' downward orward, moveaha, slottednns H g V l consequent I "w enft eresett'ing' ever 22is ed l b-e; forward end oi "the alley,

resetting niovement' ofthe tether-same;

ey pins to serves as asubstitnte for a-bufier'construcateral play or movement and in 38 is secured to shaft '34, so that when the alle are not connected with each 0t lates. 37 that are oscilj Then 'said arnis went and the spr ng "is upward as show li sltion "shown in i m 0,:afithe sprili'glsd t, whichhave v position willjassist; to nthea ms'ea. and theail the iipright position.""Hence the spring 44' tion to break the force of the blow of the fallin alleg r A g y 9 ball which strikes a cer- In order that a tain alley' in will cause the overthrow ofsubstantlal y thesame alley pins and the same number of alle pins as it would in ordinary bowling, ca les '10 are connected with the corresponding ends of the pins 38 in'the arms 33 of all the alley pins iii-an oblique row.. Since the oblique rows are in two directions, the cables cross each other substantially as shown in F 2', but" they he per'ation of this part of thfdevioe is illushalted in Figs. 2 to 12. In Fig,12 all thelpinsare standing excepting one andit has been, so

knocked down, and when that pin was knocked down it did not 'pull orthrow any other pin, it being the rear pin at one side. If the second in from the-rear at either side is struck, t enables connecting it with the two ins'to the rear thereof will also cause their overthrow, as indicated in 11; Ifthe third alleypin from the rear is struck, it willcause all the alley pins" to the rear thereof in the diagonakfi'rows connected withysuch alley pin, and also the alley pin directly "in the rear of said struck alley pin to be thrown, as indicated in Fig. .10. If the front alley in is struck, it will cause the overthrow 0 allthe others, as indicated to'secure by Letters Patent is:

course, alley per? surface 0 y With'the lower end of each 'alleypin for pins, and means belowthe up- -pivotallyc mounting it, so that when struck the: alle pin'may move to aposition below the leye j of the ball course. 7

" 2; A- game apparatusfincluding a 'ball :course provided with slots through"whi ch the alley pins may disappear when struck alley; "pins, andmeans below the surface 0 Y "theball coursefor pivot'ally mounting each fl l yg n. Y 3, game ',apparatus including a ball course provided {with slots through which the alley pins may disappear 'whenpst-ruck, alley pins, and means-connected with the course.

What-I claim-as my nvention and desire "A: game apparatus including a ball the ball course'and connected- .v Fi -H Since i throw! l t P ns at sides .h i S nd they throw the a intermediat 01mg lower end of each alley pin andextending through one of said slots and pivotall mounted below the upper surface of said ha 4. A game" v apparatus Qjnclnding a ball" Coursefpidtided with slots through which the olley' pins may: disappearwhen struck,

alley, ins arranged intransverse rows,a rodexten ing, transversely of the" device be neath the ball coi1-rse,"and means connected with the lower end of each alley pin and v i i v v alley pins may diisappearwh'en struck, alley pins, an arm secured to the lower end extending through a slot in the ball course and pivoted on said rod.

5. A game apparatus includin .a ball course, a ley pins, means below it e upper surface of the ball course and connected with the lower end of each alley pin for pivotally mounting it, so that when struck the alley pin will move to a position below the level of the ball .course, and means for returning the alley pins to their normal upright positions.

6. A game apparatus including a ball course provided with slots through which the alley pins may disappear when struck, alley pins, an arm secured to the lower end of each alley pin and extendin downwardly through a slot in the bal course, means for pivoting said arm between its ends, and means for actuatin the lower end of said arm for returning t e alley pin to its normal upright position after it has been thrown down.

7. A game apparatus including a ball course, provided with slots through which the; alley pins may disap ear when struck, alley pins, an arm secure to the lower end of each alley pin and extending downwardly through a slot in the ball course,

means for pivoting saidfarm between its ends, guides extending downwardlyfrom the ball course beside said arm for guiding the same in its oscillations, and means for actuatin turning he alley pin to its uprightposition.

BtA game apparatus imclu' ing' a ball course provided with slots. through. which of eachalley pinand extending downwardly through a slot in' the ball course, means for engaging said arm for limiting its movewhen the alleypin is; struck .by a ball,

it h-a-sbeen thrown down to its normal upmeans forpivoting said" arm between its ends;- and means for actuating the lower end 1 of said arm for returning the alley pin after right position;

'9. A game apparatus including a ball course' provided with slots through which the alley pins may disap car when struck,

alley pins, an arm "secure to the lower end ofeach alley pin and extendingdownwardly through a slot -in the ball course, a horizontal rock shaft mounted below the 'ball: course and upon which said arm is 111 crumed between its ends, a air of'guideplates extending downfromt e ball'course, one 'on each side of said 3 arm and having curved slots in them concentric. with the rock shaft, a in extending 'throu h the lower end of sald arm that projects trough said slots, a resetting arm secured on said rock shaft at each sie of said. guide plates adapted to engage said arm pin when said,

the lower end of the arm for re side of'said arm and having curved slots in them concentric with the rock shaft, a pin extending through the lower end of said arm that projects through said slots, a reset-ting arm secured on said rock shaft at each side of said guide plates adapted to engage said arm pin-when said alley pin is in its downward position, means for operating the rock vshaft for resetting the alley pin, and a spring secured to one of said 'de plates in posltion to be engaged by sai a pin when the alley pin is thrown dOWIl-. -wardly and broughtunder tension so as to assist in returning the alley pin to its upright position: V v

11. A game apparatus including a ball course provided with slots through which the alley pins may disappear when stiuclr, alley pins arranged in transverse rows, an arm secured to the lower end of each alley pin, a rock shaft under each transverserow of alley pins and upon. which all the arms from the alley pins in a transverse row-are fulcrumed between their ends, a resetting arm secured on each-.rockshaft in osition to engage the lower-part of said'a ey pin arm when the alley pin-is in its downward position,'and means for operating all of the rock shafts, whereby all the alley pins will be simultaneously returned to their upright I positions. V

12-.-A game apparatus includinga ball course, alley p ns, means for pivotally mounting each of said alley pins in POSllZlOll, to be struck by a ball .moving over said course, and means for enablingone of said alley pins when struck. to throw down other 115 of said alley pins.

13. A game apparatus including a hall course, alleypins, means below the up er surface of the ball course. and connects. at the lower end ofeach alley pin for pivotally mounting it, so that when struck the alley pin will-move to a position below. thelevel of the ball course, and a connectionbetween the pivoting parts of said alle pins, 'where' b when one alley pin is struc said. connec- 121011 will throw other alley pins down. I "14. A game apparatus lncluding a ball course with slots'therein-through whichalley pins may disappear, alley pins, .m eans se- H connecting the pivoting means of certain *ie l'ley pins, whereby when' one alley pin 15 WltneBses:

cured to the lower'end of each alley pinthat In .witness whereof, I have hereunf o afextends through ,seid'slot and 1s lvotall fixed my signature in-the presence of the v mounted below the ball'course, an a. cab e witnesses herein named. 1

WILLIAM M.

struck it will peratonsaid mnnection and O. M.-Momuenmn, 'throw-downothei: alley? pins. B01311; 

